Marreese Speights leaves Golden State for the Clippers
By Jamaal Artis
Marreesse Speights is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers.
In a move needed for depth, the Los Angeles Clippers were able to sign Marreese Speights formally of the Golden State Warriors. The 6-10 big man signed for the veteran’s minimum helping out the Clippers as they have very little salary cap room after re-signing dynamic 6th man Jamal Crawford and guard Austin Rivers.
A career back-up Speights provided the Warriors with both rebounding and interior defense coming off the bench. Speights was part of the 2015 NBA Champion Warriors. This past season Speights proved efficient averaging 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game. He also offers the Clippers three-point shooting, which can lure a defender away from the net, and for the year Speights hit a career high 38.7% from behind the arc.
After losing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers the Clippers will try to remind people how talented they are after missing out on superstar Kevin Durant in free agency. Picking up a player like Speights for the league minimum will soften the blow of losing big man Cole Aldrich.
The Clippers hope that another veteran in the locker room with championship experience can get this core group out of the second round purgatory that they seem to be stuck in. If Speights can adapt to his new surroundings, he can provide relief for current starting center DeAndre Jordan. Coach Doc Rivers will also be to spread the floor with Speights, provided he can continue to hit from three-point land. If his outside shot is consistent Speights will lure out a defender making it easier for Griffin to return to his drive and dunk style of play that made him in All-Star in his young career.
The Clippers may still be miles away from their Pacific Division rivals the Warriors, but this is a veteran ball club that when healthy can boast three All-NBA caliber players. With this core team depth minimizes wear and tear on those same superstars. Doc Rivers may have had his hands tied when it came to signing a big free agent, but the move to sign Speights may prove be more important down the line.